Being an IT person I have a need, a compulsion if you will, for cable organization and easy connectivity. So I'm laying out the box for my electronics and it occurs to me, why not just use ethernet cable and connectors to make all of this nice and clean. I run plenty POE equipment and I seem to remember seeing that it can handle up to 36v. Any reason this can't be a safe and reliable wiring setup?

They only concern I would have is that is not designed to be repeatedly flexed. That is not to say it would fail but something to consider. Also I would insure a large radius on the cable management to minimize the flex.

Woodworker wrote:They only concern I would have is that is not designed to be repeatedly flexed. That is not to say it would fail but something to consider. Also I would insure a large radius on the cable management to minimize the flex.

Any idea what the gauge was on the wire you used? I'm curious if there is an RJ style adapter that could be used with the 4 wire that they use. I'm just looking for easy, reusable connections for the most part.

I've never used CAT 5/6 outside of networking. The RJ series of connectors would be prone to failure in dusty vibrating environments. The small springs in the female connector would not last. I have not chosen a wire for my upgrade yet but will be starting the search soon. There are many choices out there for multi wire jacketed cables. As for connectors I will probably stay with what has been used here before, the 4 wire microphone type.

Stranded Cat5/6 cable is often used in DIY CNC, and it works well, especially if it's one of the heavier gauge ones (not the thin kind you often get bundled with home network routers). Use two conductors for each wire.

Do not use RJ45 connectors. They're not designed for that kind of current, and they'll go bad, and kill your drivers too (the drivers are protected against over-current and short-circuits, but not against connecting and disconnecting the load while powered, so your connection must be secure). DE9 connectors (informally known as DB9) are a very good choice; also the so-called "round aviation plugs" on eBay.

Of course, Cat6 Cable can work on Cat5 network. It is backward compatible with previous specifications, which means it can be effectively used with Cat5 network. ... Category 6 cable has better specifications than 5 or 5e, enabling it to support faster data transmission when installed with compatible devices